Battle Chasers: Nightwar
PC, PS4, XO, SWITCH | FROM $69.95 | WWW.BATTLECHASERS.COM A defunct comic series gets a second chance as a videogame.
With a terrible name that’s reminiscent of the hundreds of free mobile roleplaying games that choke up the iOS and Android app stores, it’d be easy to overlook Battle Chasers: Nightwar — but fans of fantasy RPGs really shouldn’t skip this one, as it’s a well-executed and entertaining title using elements that are uncommon these days.
Nightwar serves as a continuation of the Battle Chasers comic series, which was both born and fizzled out in the late 1990s after just nine issues — creator Joe Madureira seemingly struggled to keep up with the demands of both writing and pencilling every issue. Over 15 years later, he’s managed to return to the fantasy universe he created — now with experience as a videogame developer, having been instrumental in the creation of the cult-classic Darksiders games at THQ.
Battle Chasers is designed to play like a Japanese RPG, just with a far more straightforward Western storyline told through comic-style art. You’ll spend your time discovering new locations across the game’s overworld map, delving into Diablo- like ‘exploration’ areas (which includes the game’s eight main dungeons) and using a variety of abilities and attacks in side-on Final Fantasy- style turn-based battles — which are the game’s main draw. Those battles are well balanced and challenging enough to provide a meaty bit of fun, with new powers unlocking as your characters level up and harder enemies demanding that you adjust your strategies as you go. Like most JRPGs, it has a fair few different systems to master, but they’re rolled o ut gradually enough that they’re never too intimidating.
While the JRPG gameplay formula may not be particularly original, the execution and quality of the ingredients here is hard to fault. If you’re a fan of turn-based RPGs, don’t let this one pass you by.
Dan Gardiner